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18th May, 2012 “I’m a big fan of high quality acetate and light weight titanium sunglasses. I’m always drawn to smaller shapes, as I find I cannot support larger size frames – both for fit and my particular style. My favourites at the moment are innovative trend setting shapes, vintage redone with flair and details of the moment. I love matt and textured finishes mixed with crystal. (above, Mary wears John Varvatos style 774 in crystal.) I’m definitely a frame collector! Each season, I probably have about 10-15 pairs that I chose from. For work, I always try to have items that create multiple outfits, as I travel constantly. Accessories are a must and fun to play with – always a scarf and glasses – relaxed, rock chic! For leisure, there is nothing better than putting on my bright skinny jeans, a cashmere pullover and my Converse Chuck Taylors’s! I love some of the colours for this season, like the champagne colour of my new leather shirt jacket from “All Saints” – mixed with brights in large tops and skinny jeans. I still love Armani for the great fit and super leather jackets that feel like butter. I’m a fan of Rick Owens, for great fitting jeans and leather items. The most influential ideas and concepts today come from Stella McCartney, Isabel Marant, and Proenza Schouler for women. For men, it’s John Varvatos. Wearing cool eyewear is a must in any season – it can change your look and your mood with simple effort. Sunglasses should certainly fit your lifestyle and express your fashion sense – colour, shape and detail are important in great glasses!” www.remeyewear.com. John Varvatos is available in the UK from www.eyerespect.com JG

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17th May 2012 Eyewear connoisseurs Derome Brenner have created a jewellery collection to complement their beautiful frame designs. Necklaces and bracelets are crafted in the mode of the eyewear – bold statement designs, unexpected details, and exciting colours. The frames and jewellery have delicate volume, and the effect is subtly dramatic. Xavier Derome made an in-store appearance to present the collections at the trendy Southern California boutique – Gogosha. Guests had the opportunity to meet the eyewear artist, be personally fitted for frames, and discover the jewellery.

Stylish and shapely acetate frame by Derome Brenner

Julia Gogosha is recognised for her ability to find and promote the finest in independent eyewear designers, and the event was memorable! www.deromebrenner.com  www.gogosha.com JG

16th May 2012 Children’s sunnies are fashion delights for youngsters – there are some super designs on the summer scene.  Among my favourites are two frames from award-winning Zoobug – the innovative eyewear company created by ophthalmic surgeon Dr. Julie Diem Le. She combines great styles that youngsters love and relate to, plus the high quality lenses provide the maximum protection necessary for delicate young eyes. Youngsters will really enjoy wearing the Zoobug Super 5 (above) transparent design with blue and black, its double bridge, and gentle aviator shape.

Zoobut ZB1 in black acetate

The ZB1 in black acetate is a classic wayfarer in a mini version – so grown up! Available also in red, and red and white; pink, lilac and navy blue. For more exciting Zoobug children’s frames in lovely designs and great colours, visit www.zoobug.com JG

15th May 2012 Natalie from Grey Ant in New York has put forward this tortoise, attention-seeking piece for our month of stupendous sunnies for the summer. Given how tortoise continues to be a leading trend when it comes to frame pattern, we are rather delighted with this choice which has a distinctive and as they say themselves “off-the-grid” personality – which undoubtedly begs fashionista attention. Image above, Natalie and business partner Grant Krajecki from Grey Ant, www.greyant.com.

“The Foundry is a round acetate frame with sawed-off effect creating a literal optical illusion. The thin metal arms lend a preppy guise. We were thinking of Janis Joplin and John Lennon and then made the shape our own.”

Grey Ant is NY fashion at its strongest and raunchiest. These very exclusive sunglasses, if you’re after a new and very cool label, are available direct from their website http://shop.greyant.com. CN

The Foundry, Grey Ant

14th May 2012 Reds really sizzle this season – as we’ve featured in previous posts. I recently had the pleasure of previewing the Marni sunglass collection for Autumn/Winter 2012/2013 – and marvelled at the fabulous shapes, amazing colours, and superb quality. I singled out this red and cappuccino design in particular for its casual chic, a graceful rectangular frame shape, and distinguished nose bridge. Marni frames are handmade in Italy and exude authentic fashion flair. Available at Corso Como in Milan, and Poul Stig (www.poulstigbriller.dk) in Copenhagen.  Further information at www.marni.com JG

Pepper Retro Lucia, exclusively for Liberty's

Chic Liberty print sunglasses are also on display, part of a collaboration with RetroSuperFuture, the trendy Italian sunglasses label. I like the Retro Lucia design in Pepper Liberty Print, which features quality Zeiss lenses for proper protection from UV rays. Available on the web at £130.00, www.liberty.co.uk CN

Casper, Oliver Goldsmith

Three favourites, the Casper from Oliver Goldsmith, www.olivergoldsmith.com (above, which we wrote about last month in our reviews section and we simply can’t get enough of this one, and the completely flamboyant “catty shades” (that’s my preferred name for the catseye) by RVS by. V. (www.rvsbyv.com), as well as that Framers choice we just wrote about, all very enticing. Enjoy the brights while there are plenty of flirtacious ones on offer. CN

Paris, RVS by V.

10th May 2012 Eyewear innovator Luca Gnecchi Ruscone of L.G.R. has joined forces with A.P.C., the French casual clothing and home accessories brand, to create a select collection of sunglasses. The frame designs, suitable for both men and women, emphasize true naturalness – no solvents or paints are used in making the frames: everything is hand polished, and fitted with anti-reflex lenses that provide 100% UV protection. Frame shapes embrace a touch of Retro, with a modern air. Beautifully marbled Havana acetate (above style 4231) – my favourite – is paired with brown photochromic lenses.

A.P.C. Style 4225 in black acetate

The classic black model features sporty green lenses. Both styles harmonize so well with the relaxed clothing designs from A.P.C. They have just gone into the A.P.C. stores today! All L.G.R. frames are handcrafted in Italy. www.lgr-sunglasses.com JG

10th May 2012 Two grand Italian fashion design divas, from totally different eras, are the subject of a fascinating exhibition at The Metropolitan of Art Costume Institute in New York City. Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada:Impossible Conversations opens today, and explores the striking affinities between these two Italian designers from distinctive fashion decades. Iconic ensembles by Schiaparelli and Prada are in the galleries, with approximately 100 designs and 40 accessories by Schiaparelli (1890-1973), dating from the late 1920′s to the early 1950′s, and Prada’s creations span the years from the late 1980′s to the present. Harold Koda, Curator in Charge, noted: “Juxtaposing the work of Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada allows us to explore how the past enlightens the present, and how the present enlivens the past.” Curator Andrew Bolton added: the connection of the historic to the modern highlights the affinities, as well as the variances, between two women who constantly subverted contemporary notions of taste, beauty, and glamour.”

Miuccia Prada, spring/summer 2011

Schiaparelli worked in Paris from the 1920′s until her house closed in 1954, and she was closely associated with the Surrealist movement – she collaborated with Salvador Dali on several projects. Prada, who holds a degree in political science, took over her family’s Milan-based business in 1978, and focuses on fashion that reflects the eclectic nature of Postmodernism. Both women are influential style mavens, and their designs continue to make an impact on fashion culture – and beyond. Exhibition dates: 10 May – 9 August 2012 www.metmuseum.org JG

Photo credits: Top image of Wallis Simpson in Elsa Schiaparelli, Vogue 01 June, 1937 Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Cecil Beaton, Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s. Prada photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by David Sims.

9th May 2012 “The sunglass styles Mariann and Luki are the ‘must-haves’ this summer”, says Sarah Settgast, Baroness of Design at Framers Eyewear in Berlin. Mariann reflects perfectly the current ‘zeitgeist’ with a touch of the past. I have in mind the streets of Paris in the 1950′s, the beautiful little cafes, couples in love, the sun is shining……..I love to wear Mariann in bright strawberry red!

Mariann in dazzling strawberry red by Framers Berlin

“For Matthias, Earl of Eyewear, the perfect match is Luki in a smokey grey colour. I think this frame is a statement for the adventurous man who knows what life is all about – a mixture of traditional and contemporary design.

Sophisticated smokey grey acetate - Luki by Framers

“Maybe my imagination is a bit romanticized. I love to watch French movies, because they give me this beautiful attitude to life. We are ready for the summer!” www.framers.de JG

Fashion credits: Styling, Lisa Ringrose; Photography, Armando Ferrari; Hair, Gary Lees using tecni.art by L’Oreal Professionel; Make-up, Piffanne for Academy of Make Up; Model, Jamie Walker at Model Team. Tailoring, Hugo Boss at Cruise.

Eyewear featured available at Niche Optical Tailor, 119 Candleriggs, Glasgow www.nicheopticaltailor.co.uk CN

Spectacles from the Thom Browne Collection

Reclaimed materials used by Holloway include anything from old skate boards to guitars. Founders Raffaele Persichetti and Martin Gordon Brown are committed to ecological awareness and manufacture that respects the environment, designing frames that are in tune with these values, whilst being trendy and desirable as fashion products.

Raffaele Persichetti: “We seek to maintain our existence with a better understanding of our impact and always act purposefully with tomorrow in mind. Our material capabilities are growing rapidly, and we’re getting into scavaging from hard industries like metals and stone. We’ve finished prototypes of the snowboard range and are playing round more with finishing in natural pigments and stains which are really changing the end product.” 

Holloway Eyewear

For more details on Holloway Eyewear in Australia, visit www.hollowayeyewear.com.au

7th May 2012 Our friends at CraftHunters.com have lead us to Anna Zaboeva, the Siberian-born shoe designer, and this great picture of her in vintage shades. I asked Anna about her work and her interest in eyewear.

“My label Pleasemachine Peculiar Footwear, is a beautiful blend of design and pure craftsmanship. Each pair of shoes is made in the traditional way, slowly and with passion, from fine leather and recycled textiles which I find on the street.

Recycling is a major area of my design and I have a great affinity with other modern designers who also do beautiful things using recycling. In terms of eyewear I’ve got a few cool and rare designs from Tipton (www.tipton.hu) made of recycled music vinyls, and still can’t choose which is my favorite among Holloway’s designs made of recycled skates, surf and snowboards (www.hollowayeyewear.com.au)
I consider the role of sunglasses in style and fashion to be very significant. It’s an essential accessory for me, and I have about a dozen favourites in my modest collection.  Generally they are vintage – some without names, and from great fashion houses like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. In the picture I am wearing vintage sunglasses which I have not been able to identify, I found them on the street. I like to wear things which are older than me or at least have a story behind them. An old, well-designed pair of sunglasses can make me look elegant, or hot, or funny or carefree, and sometimes all of these at once.

Pleasemachine boots

Comfort is always important too. I have quite a small nose so I have a hard time with frames that don’t have good nose pads that can elevate the frame off the cheeks, enough to avoid traces and prevent potential stretching of the skin. 
Sometimes I do some work on a new or old frame myself, to get a perfect fit. Customized eyewear, from the fitting to the design, would be a dream for me. Just like I design and customise my shoes.”  www.pleasemachine.net www.tipton.hu CN

4th May 2012 “I’ve had a whole Western thing going on in my head for some time, and I love the combination of leather and metal. I found a vintage Western belt buckle in the market, and we commissioned two jewellery makers to actually carve the pattern in reverse for Rancho Deluxe, so that we could stamp the frame shape out. I designed the pattern specifically for the shape of this frame – it’s not just stamped out of a sheet. My favourite colour is the copper, like the rivets on old jeans, combined with a ‘Bentley-dashboard’ briar wood acetate temple – the light green sun lenses compliment this combination beautifully.

Rancho Deluxe with custom carving by Jono Hennessy

“We have started a new direction in sunglasses from last year, getting away from the heavy acetates. We are probably a little bit early at this stage, however, I am sure we will see more textured metal coming up at Silmo (the Paris optical fair).” www.jonohennessy.com JG

1st May 2012 On Thursday I visited Hastings, not so far from home, and a place that is full of surprises, from great food to vintage stores to art… I was visiting designer Tom Herrington at his optical shop by the sea! I love this little place and before I knew that it was Tom’s shop, the vintage vespa in the window had already caught my eye…

Tom greets me in ’60s French beret, black polo neck and his oversized Antibes sunglasses. First we take a look around the store which stocks collections you might not expect to find down here out of London, from Oliver Goldsmith to Kirk Originals, and people travel to find him…he loves to break the mould in his choices which is always refreshing.

A similar uniqueness is there at the heart of his own label, RockOptika, which he launched in Paris last September, after 15 years working with other independent eyewear labels in London. The present collection includes 10 very classy designs, 5 for girls and 5 for guys, including punk tortoiseshells (so cool!) and a favourite for me, a small round shape that fits beautifully on my narrow face. I also love the elegant and distinctive French lace.

Tom explains: “My frames are very nicely put together, produced in Italian acetate, and made in one of the traditional workshops in the Jura region of France. I go out there to see them being made, to check on every detail, from the width of the bridge to the final finish. The  collection is strong on design, and I work for hours sketching from my imagination….I like the inspiration I get from the 1960s, sci-fi..I wanted strong retro but with a really modern feel. I use a lot of architectural angles which means the frames are quite flat, I think that’s interesting. ”

RockOptika

Antibes in lace by RockOptika

And the colours? ”Well with very strong angles and very strong shapes, I have used classic colours…and that’s where I am trying to carve my niche. I like bordeaux and olive for guys who tend to be quite conservative in their colour choices. And I enjoy tortoisehell which is everywhere, but I think it works and has a lovely classic look, it is so stylish.

Do you follow trends? “There is a fine balance between following trends and doing something that is interesting. So I have classic tortoiseshell but I have added a punk tortoise; and I’ve used lace because it is trendy, but I’ve not used a predictable lace, it’s this incredible blue and gold, it’s wicked. In eyewear, you have to keep an eye on fashion because it drives the industry forward, but I like to do this with my own take on it.”

Asked to comment on what is coming up for next season, Tom tells me about his plans for a new campaign, some very special limited materials he has put away in preparation for the collection, and he alludes to some unique colour combinations…I am hoping for a preview myself in September!

RockOptika sunglasses and spectacles are available at Wolf & Badger, Notting Hill, London (www.wolfandbadger.com), McClintock, Covent Garden, London (www.mcclintock-eyewear.co.uk) and The Optical Lounge, Hastings.  CN www.rockoptika.co.uk

I first saw these sunglasses in Paris, in a showroom on Place des Vosges last year…..it was an amazingly sunny day, music playing, and  the Reiz frames were looking pretty exciting…Surya is one of a collection using graduated colour in an inspired way…the styles in the range, men’s and women’s alike, echo just what the small but fabulous German Reiz brand is all about…individuality, simplicity, serious style, and 100% quality…it is a super idea if you don’t know what to get for your statement piece this season! www.reiz.net  CN

The beauty and variety of nature’s greens is a dominant trend this season in both fashion and eyewear – as demonstrated in Emmanuelle Khanh’s translucent emerald acetate design. The elegant shape is classic EK – big and bold with stylish grace. A touch of white on the temples embellishes the summer-ish feel – this frame cannot wait to be on the beach! www.emmanuellekhanhparis.com JG

Grey is really a trendy shade at the moment…so if you are tired of black, this is a tone to try out. The example I’ve picked here is an acetate sunglass style by the ever-so-cool Californian label, Garrett Leight (GLCO). The grey is graduated, from dark at the top to crystal lower down, with the effect that the frame is light and easy in its coloration on the face. Retro 50s and 60s is a strong part of the collection and there are lots of great classics with updated colourings (from crystal to tortoise and espresso). Another favourite of mine for this season is the girl’s catseye, Lucille in ivory gradient, a delight! In the UK, you can find GLCO at Adam Simmonds (London) and Seen (Manchester) http://garrettleight.com/. CN